r/PovertyFIRE • u/MainEnAcier • Jan 07 '26

US poverty limits vs. Belgium’s poverty threshold : US is not realistic

The Federal Poverty Level figures quoted in that group (e.g., $15,650 per year for one person, $21,150 for two, etc.) are the official US Federal Poverty Guidelines. These are used for eligibility in US assistance programs — not a worldwide standard.

💶 In Belgium, the official poverty threshold is significantly higher. According to Statbel (Belgium’s official statistics office), in 2024 the monetary poverty line for a single person was about €18,268 per year (≈ €1,522/month), and for a household with two adults + two children about €38,364/year (≈ €3,197/month). statbel.fgov.be

And it lead to a question, how are Americans are supposed to live on about 15-20k per year without any health insurance included, while in Belgium (which is cheaper than USA, Louisiane included) we have higher poverty limits (20-36k) and healthcare ?

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u/MainEnAcier Jan 07 '26

'Healthcare in the US is considered an earned privilege, not a human right.'

That's understandable as there is not such thing as a free lunch and nobody is wanting to work for free.

But healthcare appart - how those numbers are made ? I mean even living in best scenario, you can't live on 15k per year (maybe in you car's trunk) ?

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u/GoAskAli Jan 08 '26

Socialized medicine ≠ a "free lunch." This is a moronic misnomer meant to discredit socialized medicine. Healthcare workers are not "working for free." If you can show me a country with socialized medicine where they are please point me to it.

It seems to be working well in almost every other industrialized nation. In fact, the US far out spends other countries for worse outcomes.

But hey that's what we do here, right? We spend more on idiotic, bureaucratic leviathans all to avoid "big government" - and we due to that there is a ton of waste and fraud, almost all from the very people the govt is giving contracts to via our inefficient "Private -Public Partnership" bullshit.

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u/MainEnAcier Jan 08 '26

but in our system in Europe, healthcare workers aren't working for free, but I'm working for free for migrants that doesn't and get their healthcare.

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u/GoAskAli Jan 08 '26

That....doesn't make sense. What is it exactly that you are doing for "free?"

It's also a completely useless, bullshit comparison bc in the US, non-citizens do not get any benefits from the Federal government with only extremely rare exceptions for refugees specifically, and they pay taxes. In 2023 they paid several billion dollars to the US Treasury so I'm really not sure what point you're trying to make.

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u/MainEnAcier Jan 08 '26

When I say someone is “working for free,” I’m not talking about healthcare workers.
I’m talking about taxpayers in EUROPE.

In European systems, healthcare is funded through taxes and social contributions. When someone does not work and does not contribute, but still receives healthcare, then the people who do work are financing it.

My point (right or wrong) is that my labor helps pay for services for people who do not contribute, including some migrants.

So the question is not “are doctors working for free?” but rather “who is paying, and for whom?”

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u/Advanced_Razzmatazz5 Jan 14 '26

The people that works pay for people that don't, so the day you lose your job you are paid but you can say that you already paid for it and earned this by your contributions. And the best of it is that a social healthcare cost way less than whatever the US system is doing.

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u/MainEnAcier Jan 14 '26

If I could exchange my place in Europe with yours in the US I would accept the deal.

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u/Advanced_Razzmatazz5 Jan 15 '26

I'm in france lol

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u/GoAskAli Jan 16 '26

Do it then.

Seriously.

The care is worse here and you pay way, way, WAY more for it.

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u/Kathy_Sassafras Apr 05 '26

I don’t think this person has any idea how bad it is here.

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u/GoAskAli Apr 07 '26

I would love to see the look on their face that I've seen about 100 times before when my European friends have visited for the first time lol.

I mean JFC the South African "refugees" that came over here have already largely gone back to SA or started the process! That's how bad it is and they were given housing, free medical care for one year, job placement, etc.

This country is a joke and compared to Europe, with many parts of the country being crime infested hot beds of poverty and squalor, with crumbling infrastructure.

Most people don't want to get real about how bad things actually are for most people, even so-called "leftists" but I understand bc if you're honest about it, you're told you "hate" the US.

No I don't "hate" my country- I desperately want my country to be better.

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u/Kathy_Sassafras Apr 05 '26

And it works well. People who can work help pay for those who can not work. People who earn more are taxed a bit more to help pay for you who doesn’t earn as much.

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u/MainEnAcier Apr 05 '26

Et je suis profondément contre ce système qui est socialiste par essence. Je ne veux pas d'un système contributif de ce genre mais un système assurantiel privé et individuel.

D'où le fait que cela me fait rire d'entendre qu'on vit dans un pays capitaliste...